Calm down Lagosians, you guys are not that special
And the National Assembly agrees with that.
Not believing that however, yesterday, the senator representing Lagos Central senatorial district, Remi Tinubu presented a bill seeking to grant Lagos State special grants from the federal government. The bill would ensure that the state would get one per cent of all revenue generated by the Federal Government.
As expected, the session turned rowdy, with senators from other states showing their obvious opposition to the bill
But Tinubu pushed on insisting that the strategic importance of the state was inherent in several sectors of the economy.
The senator insisted that, “available statistics indicate that six out of 10 international passengers arrive in Lagos while eight out of 10 depart from Lagos. This shows that Lagos is the window through which visitors travel in and out of Nigeria.
“Lagos is home to the major ports that serve Nigeria. It accounts for over 90 per cent of all maritime exports. The state delivers much of the funds and charges that go into the coffers of the Federal Government. It is incontrovertible that Lagos State generates much of Nigeria’s income outside its (the country’s) oil sector.
“According to an FIRS report in 2008, 86.2 per cent of companies income taxes were collected in Lagos alone, while 56.7 per cent of Value Added Tax was collected in Lagos.
She maintained that, “It is inadvertent that Lagos State has been left to deal with this pressure on its own at huge costs. The state bears the burden for the wear and tear that many of the federal revenue generating activities cause. Irrespective of its contributions to the economy, Lagos receives statutory allocations like other states, which often translate into meagre sums when compared with other states.”
Senator Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto North), however, disagreed with her, saying the bill, if passed, would inspire other states to ask for special funds.
“Other states owe salaries and Lagos, being the richest state, is asking for additional fund. It will only make other states poorer and Lagos State richer,” he said.
Other senators like Hope Uzodimma (representing Imo West), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West) and James Manager (Delta South) also opposed the bill.
The proceedings, however, became rowdy when the Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye (Osun Central), who supported the bill, argued that the Federal Government should give Lagos special recognition just as it was doing for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
When the Deputy Senate President eventually put the bill to vote, the nays had it. Three times.
